Keswick
About the Town
Situated at the northern end of the majestic Derwentwater
and at the entrance to the Borrowdale valley lies the market town
of Keswick.
This pretty market town offers a wide range of attractions for
visitors, from shops and museums, boating trips around Derwentwater
and countryside rambles to climbing and fellwalking. Few areas can
offer a better variety of walking and climbing opportunities.
In 2009 the town suffered devastating floods and following this
a great deal of work has been carried out by a wide range of
organisations working together to ensure that suitable plans are in
place should such a disaster occur again. Two groups are
still working to help individuals, business and communities in
Keswick who have been or may be affected by flooding and indeed
other disasters that may occur.
THE KESWICK FLOOD AND EMERGENCY GROUP
(KFERG)
The Keswick Flood and Emergency Recovery Group (KFERG) have been
meeting regularly since planning began on Keswick community
emergency plan back in the middle of 2009. At that time the
Group had no expectation that they would need to activate the plan
so thoroughly in November 2009.
Since the flooding occurred the KFERG has been working with the
flood support centre and the Keswick Flood Action Group to continue
the work on the Keswick community emergency plan. Following a
donation from Allerdale Borough Council, Keswick has been able to
create a Flood Recovery Project Manager role that has been actively
driving forward the initiatives that make up the community
emergency plan. The Keswick Flood Recovery Project
Manager intends to build a community emergency plan that will be
able to maintain the ongoing success of Keswick as a community.
KFERG meets monthly in the town council chambers in the town to
consider issues arising from flood residents and consider the
future development of the town's community energency plan.
The Project Manager Emily Thompson says: "The best way
to be prepared is for each resident to understand the risks to
their property and consider how they can reduce that risk"
Further information can be obtained from Emily at the town
hall on 017687 80924 and/or mobile 0797 1877 424 or via email to
keswickfloodrecovery@gmail.com
THE KESWICK FLOOD ACTION GROUP
Following the floods of January 2005, a group of Keswick
residents set up the Keswick Flood Action Group (KFAG) to help
anyonje who was affected by the floods of 2005 and following the
floods of 2009 or who may be affected in the future. To this
end the Group has campaigned to reduce the flood risk in Keswick
and to minimise its material damage as well as its social and
economic effects.
This Group has worked closely with the Environment Agency in
moving forward a scheme to improve the flood defences in
Keswick. With the help of Lord Campbell-Savours the Group has
worked with United Utilities to introduce an evolving pilot scheme
for the management of Thirlmere, which balances the needs of water
supply against flood alleviation.
A group of Volunteers who are associated with KFAG but are not
liable to flooding aims to help in the build-up and immediate
aftermath of a flood. This group works closely with the
Emergency Services and was fully involved in the floods of November
2009 as an integral part of the evolving Keswick Emergency
Plan.
In the recovery phase KFAG has worked closely with Allerdale
Borough Council and other local authorities and voluntary
agencies. It has encouraged householders to improve the
resilience of their properties and obtained funding to help with
these measures. It has set up two sub-committees: one to deal
with the flooding issues in Elliot Park and the other a multiagency
group with a wider remit to solve surface water problems throughout
the town.
Further information can be obtained from the Chairman of KFAG
- Dr Graham Thompson at carolandgrahamthompson@btinternet.com
THE DERWENT SEVEN GROUP
There is sometimes a widely held
misconception of Keswick and its neighbouring villages as a rural
idyll set in the wonderful scenery of the Lake District National
Park. Whilst there is no doubt that the natural environment
of the area is enviable, the social and economic consequences of
such a situation can be both stultifying and damaging.
The Derwent Seven is a Community Led
Planning Group that came together following the demise in 2009
of the former Keswick Area Partnership that had been formed through
the Market Towns Initiative process.
The Derwent Seven has a wide membership
bringing together local policians at all levels, representatives of
statutory agencies, voluntary bodies and the private sector.
In addition officers from Keswick Town Council, Cumbria County
Council and Allerdale Borough Council all support the initiative
and provide a link with their authorities.
It also has representatives from the parishes
of Above Derwent, Bassenthwaite, Borrowdale, St Johns, Castlerigg
and Wythburn, Underskiddaw and Keswick town (within the Allerdale
Borough Council locality) and Threlkeld (within Eden District
Council locality) because of its close proximity to the other
parishes.
The purpose of the Derwent Seven is to
undertake any actions, functions or activities which are considered
useful or necessary to promote the common concerns and which would
be inappropriate or impossible to be undertaken by individual
members. The Derwent Seven has formed several sub-groups to
look at the various issues such as transport, affordable housing,
tourism and young people.
The Derwent 7 are working to develop their cluster parish
community network and is being seen increasingly as a “beacon of
good practice” in the region and has been cited nationally
recently.
With the advent of Locality Working where
communities and agencies need to come together to identify local
needs and priorities, the Derwent Seven has an excellent
opportunity working towards securing a soundly based and viable
future for the local community.
If you would like any further information on the Derwent Seven
please contact Becx Carter who is the Project Co-ordinator on
info@rebecca-carter.com or
visit their website on http://derwent7.wordpress.com